LOVE is a Four Letter Word
by Intoxicated Lie
Summary: When a girl is found murdered and possibly raped, the SVU squad is called in. While investigating the scene of an abandoned warehouse, it is discovered that the illegal sport of dog fighting takes place often there. WARNING: Readers discretion is advised.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: LOVE is a Four Letter Word**  
Chapter One  
Synopsis**: When a girl is found murdered and possibly raped, the SVU squad is called in. While investigating the scene of an abandoned warehouse, it is discovered that the illegal sport of dog fighting takes place often there.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own the SVU characters, much to my dismay.

**A/N:** So this plot idea has been circling around in my head and I've finally been un-lazy (is that a word?) and decided to type it up. I'm just going to jump right into the story, no prologue or anything like that. And just letting you all know, Elliot is /happily/ divorced yet still sees his kids every once and a while, aka whenever I feel like it.. ;D

**WARNING**: The story will be dealing with the horrors of animal abuse. If you can't handle the descriptions of dog fighting and the dogs, please don't read. Or at least skip the second half of this chapter.

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"Hey, what've we got?" Olivia Benson called to Melinda Warner, the Medical Examiner who was currently bent over an obviously dead body. Olivia and her partner flashed their badges at the uniformed officers and ducked under the crime scene tape. Blue and red flashes of light filled the still-dark area. It was early in the morning, just after five a.m.

Melinda stood up and nodded to the two detectives, glancing at her notes on the clipboard in her hands. "Just another young girl in her early twenties. Evidence of rape; bruises on her thighs and wrists. Her clothes are torn up pretty bad. The guy really bashed her up before he slit her throat." Melinda explained with a slight shrug, pointing to the slightly jagged dark red line. An assistant to the M.E. came over with a body bag. Olivia and Elliot quickly surveyed the young blonde before the medical examiner took her away.

"Any I.D.?" Elliot asked, looking around for a purse or wallet or something like that.

"Nope. Just the clothes she was wearing." Melinda shook her head. "Some slinky green dress. And it looks like the body was dumped. No blood splatter, but a trail leading from that building." She pointed to the east, where a beaten looking warehouse loomed in the fading darkness. Olivia and Elliot looked to each other and both shrugged, obviously thinking the same thing. _Let's go check it out. _

The building was about two to three hundred feet from where the body was found. The small road leading up to the warehouse was made of asphalt, but obviously very old and cracking, some pieces broken off in random places. Olivia and Elliot walked in the normal, comfortable silence, both scanning the ground for any clues or anything out of place. They were following a C.S.I, who was leading them along the trail of blood, which was abnormally straight. Few drops here and there, but always in a straight line, as if the perp (or whoever was carrying the body) was moving quickly.

"We're the first ones to check inside." The young C.S.I. informed the two detectives proudly. Olivia and Elliot raised their eyebrows at each other, not sure if that was a good thing or not. Who knows what they would find in there?

At first glance, it was just a dirty, musty, cobweb-filled, dank room. The three proceeded cautiously, and the C.S.I. had a bright flash light he was sweeping across the ground. A crunching of glass startled them all, and the C.S.I. made his way over to Elliot, who quickly backed up, only to step on more glass.

"It looks like a broken window…" Olivia concluded, bending down to examine the plates of glass which had been slipped out of the normal square frame. The C.S.I. pulled another flashlight from his jacket pocket and handed it to Olivia. She turned it on and shined it over the area. "I think we just found our murder weapon." Olivia said with a small smirk, walking a few feet to her left and bending down again. Large crates, boxes, and other junk piled against the far left wall. Among them were a few other windows, some of which were cracked. The broken window pane at Olivia's feet was smeared with blood around one edge. All of the glass was broken out, scattered in a few feet radius to where Elliot was standing. A dark, crimson red pool of blood was partially dried under the broken window and there were droplets splattered across the neighboring glass panes and wooden crates. The C.S.I. nodded, and then quickly left through the door they had come in, calling back to the detectives that he would get some people in here to secure it.

"Oh-kay…" Elliot said, looking around at the strange scene. This was different, and a little creepy. Olivia ran her flashlight over the area as she walked to one wall, the one towering with crates and boxes. She squinted at the squares, peering closely at what they used to hold inside.

"Hey, El, look at this…" Olivia didn't want to touch anything but there were hairs caught in the crate closest to where the broken window with blood was. "Long blonde hair." She smiled up at Elliot as he approached her and peered over her shoulder.

"There's more…" He said, pointing with a long finger over her shoulder to the inside of the crate. These hairs were shorter, smaller, and a dirty golden-brown. "Animal hair?" Elliot's voice was just higher then a whisper in her ear Olivia tired to ignore the closeness of her partner but it was _so hard_! She paused for a moment to regain her regular breathing pattern.

"Looks like it… Maybe a stray cat?" She offered after a second, blinking a few times to see straight again. Elliot couldn't help but smirk at the thought of making his partner weak for a second there. He caught it, knowing that if there was someone else around, they wouldn't have. Elliot always caught things like that, the little slipups Olivia made. She'd probably kick his ass if she knew that.

"Maybe." Elliot agreed, backing off. Olivia let out a quiet breath as he moved away. She stared at the group of hairs for a few seconds longer, hearing Elliot's careful footsteps travel along the wall and near the door. "Hey, Liv. There's a light switch…" Elliot called back to her, and then flicking the little lever up. It took a second for the large overhead bulbs to flicker on and the lighting was dim, around the edges anyway. In the center of the room there were more lights hooked up together, centered on the middle of the room. Both Elliot and Olivia approached the strange setup before them.

Everything was pushed up against the side walls and the ceiling was at its highest right above the spot with the most lights. The two detectives headed straight for the long wooden boards set up in a rough circle. The wood was old, and very worn. Olivia gasped as she came closer to it, realizing that the dark red-brown stains along the inside were dried blood. The faint stench of bleach hung in the air, but it didn't take away from the site in front of them. Scratches littered the panels of wood and dark paw prints splayed out in various places. Olivia wanted to throw up. Who the hell could possibly do this? It was the work of evil that was for sure.

"Oh my God…" Elliot muttered, careful not to touch anything as he slowly walked around the set up. "Dog fighting… It's illegal. We have to-"

"SHH!" Olivia waved her hand at him, her head turning to the back of the warehouse. "I heard something." She said quietly. With careful steps, she moved in the direction of the noise. And then she heard it again, a quiet yipping sound of a small dog. Quickly, Olivia followed the sound to a door in the darkness. The light bulbs had burnt out here on this side of the place. The door was closed so Olivia pulled a tissue out of her pocket before twisting the doorknob and swinging the door open. As if the fighting ring couldn't be enough of a site, this room was even worse. Olivia was frozen in shock. By this time, Elliot had caught up and peered around her. He muttered a few choice words before saying something about going to get help. Olivia heard his foot steps hurriedly rush across the large room and then out the door they had come in. She didn't move for a good minute.

Tight, wire metal cages lined the walls. The room was smaller then the first, only about half the size. But it gave the appearance of a closet with the amount of stuff shoved against all four walls. At least twenty pairs of eyes gleamed in the darkness at Olivia. As she took a step into the room, the creature in the cage closest to her growled quietly. Most of them backed up, not very far as the cages were only big enough for them to stand in. There was a light switch next to her and Olivia turned it on, letting more light flood the room. The stench was horrible, a hand rushing up to cover her nose and mouth. She took a few more steps in the room, surveying the dogs inside their prisons. Most appeared to be pit bulls, or a mix thereof. At the end of the room was a larger cage, and Olivia choked on a sob as she saw what was inside.

A pair of golden amber eyes peered up at her with a small, wagging tail. The little golden retriever puppy had slightly matted fur and looked to only be about five or six weeks old. She reached out with a shaky hand to pet the little thing. And at first, Olivia thought he was alone, until she peered back into the cage at the three other unmoving little bodies.

**-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

"Olivia?" Elliot called, coming back into the warehouse. A large group of C.S.I.s filed in after him. Elliot saw the light on in the other room and he rushed over to it, wondering what other surprises could possibly be hiding in this place. He found out soon enough, totally unprepared for the sight before him. He had to take a step back and catch his breath before he could reach Olivia, who was huddled over the cage of the little golden puppy. "Liv?" Elliot moved closer to her once he regained his balance.

"Oh God, Elliot look at her!" Her voice was shaky and as she lifted her head, Elliot could see tears in her eyes, a few rolling down her cheeks. The little puppy leaped up at the door of the metal cage and tried to lick Olivia's face. She settled on Elliot's hand, which was resting on the side as he bent over. The other hand was comfortingly on Olivia's shoulder. Elliot's jaw clenched, thinking about the bastard who did this. Or bastards. And then his face softened with a sigh and he unlatched the door of the cage. The golden puppy's tail was swishing furiously back and forth and it leaped up at Olivia and Elliot graciously. A small smile spread on Olivia's face and she picked the puppy up, cuddling it to her face.

"Who ever did this is getting the needle." Elliot said solemnly, a hand reaching out to scratch the puppy's ears.

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Please Review! I hope it was okay :o


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the SVU characters, much to my dismay.

**A/N:** Here is Chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm trying to make this as real as possible, in the way that everything is handled. But I'm not an expert on any of this stuff. Just taking what I see on TV and borrowing it  Oh and sorry this took so long. School has practically eaten me alive! :S

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**8:34 AM  
October 7****th****  
SVU Squad Room**

It had taken a few hours for everything to be resolved at the warehouse crime scene. After letting C.S.U. take pictures and collect things, the S.P.C.A. took the dogs from their cages. They would be evaluated and kept while the investigation was going on, but the worker assured a caring Liv that most of them would find good homes.

Now, Elliot entered the squad room to inform their captain of what they found. The dogs plus the rape. This was going to be a tough case, that was for sure. There was a lot of evidence to sift through, much more work for C.S.U., but they would have to relay all the information to the SVU detectives anyway.

Olivia entered a few steps behind Elliot, a coat wrapped around her body protectively. She glanced around, not seeing anyone exactly paying attention to her. Fin and Munch were arguing about something, Elliot was heading to Cragen's office, and none of the other officers seemed to pay her any mind. Well, Elliot knew what was causing Olivia's coat to squirm, but he couldn't talk her out of it. As he knocked on the captain's office door, Olivia quickly scurried by, heading for the cribs. Elliot had to talk to Cragen first, assess his mood, and then relay to Olivia his opinion about the case.

"Come in." Cragen answered Elliot's knock, and the detective entered the office, closing the door behind him. "Elliot. That took awhile. Four hours to check a scene?" Elliot looked down at his shoes and cleared his throat.

"We found more then just a raped and murdered woman. Evidence pointed to a nearby warehouse, so Liv and I, and a C.S.I., checked it out. We weren't exactly prepared for what we discovered." He placed the file on his captain's desk, containing pictures developed at the scene. Elliot watched Cragen's face as he continued. "The woman appeared to be murdered inside the warehouse, and then brought outside. The murder weapon was a piece of glass. There appeared to be a bit of a struggle and time of death was around one a.m." Just in time, as Cragen reached pictures of their second problem.

"What is this?" He looked slightly confused at the horrific over-all picture of the dog fighting ring. "And how does it pertain to our rape case?" Cragen gave a stern look up at Elliot.

"Well…" Elliot glanced toward the door.

"Where's your partner? Shouldn't she be here as well?"

"I'm getting to that." Elliot said patiently. Then he took a deep breath. "We found a dog fighting ring with the works. And in another room there were dogs. Live and dead ones." Cragen was still flipping through the pictures, his face falling with each one. He stopped at a picture of Olivia holding up the puppy she had found, giving Elliot a questioning glare. "Yeah, thats the puppy still alive. And we have evidence to believe they were bait dogs… Her siblings I mean…" Elliot looked back at the pictures, the next one showing the little puppy's siblings, dead in their corner. They all had various puncture wounds and scars. "Golden retrievers aren't exactly the most aggressive dogs out there…"

"What happened to the dogs, Elliot." Cragen asked, setting the pictures down.

"The local S.P.C.A. took almost all of them." Elliot answered, looking down again.

"Almost all?" Cragen hardly wanted to know what happened to the rest.

"They are going to be evaluated and anything of interest will be sent to us. Captain, we have to work this case too. Everything about it might point to our rapist and killer! What if the owner of this dog fighting place killed the girl because she threatened to shut him down or something?" Elliot was turning into defensive mode, trying to prove his point and get Cragen to allow them to take the case.

Cragen sighed, looking down at the pictures once more, thinking it over. "Fine. This does seem important… But work the rape first! Considering that is your job." He peered around Elliot, back into the squad room. "And find your partner before telling Fin and Munch about this." Elliot gave Cragen a slight smile, muttered a quick 'thank you' and hurried out the door.

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**8:57 AM  
October 7****th  
Cribs at SVU **

Olivia smiled down at the little bundle of fur, watching the puppy bite at the towel wrapped around its body. Olivia had washed the puppy off a bit, getting some of the dirt and grime from her soft fur. Now, the puppy's face looked a bit less sad and her tail was wagging furiously. Olivia picked the pup up, sitting down on a mattress and putting the squirming body on her lap.

"Aw, you're such a good little thing." Olivia crooned, rubbing the puppy's fur down. The puppy yipped as if in agreement and then jumped up at Olivia's face, licking her chin. Olivia laughed, hardly hearing someone enter the room with a soft knock.

"Hey Liv, just talked to Cragen." Came Elliot's voice and Olivia looked up suddenly.

"What did he say?" She desperately wanted to solve this case. Not just the rape, that too, but really whoever could put those dogs in such horrible conditions. Elliot sighed, coming to sit next to Liv on the cot, reaching over to stroke the puppy, who promptly licked his fingers.

"We can take the case, if the rape is our first priority." Elliot bit his lip, waiting for the rebuttal that was sure to come from his partner.

"But El, we have to find the guy that did this to her!" Olivia held the puppy up to Elliot's face. Elliot laughed as the puppy tried to scramble out of Liv's hands and did her best to cover Elliot's face in wet licks. Taking the puppy from Olivia, Elliot sighed, seeing the pouting look on Liv's face.

"Are you really going to keep her?" He asked, looking down at the puppy. Olivia rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Of course I am! What, was I going to let her go to a shelter and sit in a cage? She's too sweet for that." Olivia pulled the puppy out of Elliot's arms, cradling her close to her body. She looked up at Elliot with a death stare, daring him to challenge her. Elliot didn't, of course.

"Well, I dunno how you're going to take care of a young puppy with work hours like these…" Elliot shrugged. "Cragen wants us to fill in Munch and Fin about this case. We have to figure out how to tie the girl to the dog fighting ring. Or the person that did it to the ring." He didn't move though and was quiet for a few seconds. "What are you going to name her?" Elliot asked suddenly, tilting his head a bit. They couldn't keep calling the puppy 'her' all the time.

"I'm not sure yet. Lucky, maybe?" Olivia let her shoulders rise and fall, stroking the golden fur and looking up at Elliot. The puppy was situated in a spot on Liv's lap that allowed her to look up at Elliot as well, with almost the same expression. That was when Elliot noticed the puppy's eyes. They were dark, just like Olivia's, but full of the same spunk and life. Yet, behind the chocolate mask, was the sadder portion. The tough exterior was both of their covers.

"What about Vivian?" Elliot blurted out, the first name that came to his mind. It sounded a lot like Olivia. But also really super fancy or something. The real Olivia just burst out laughing.

"Vivian? Oh pu-lease, El. I am /_not_/ going to go around calling my dog 'Vivian'." She made a face, mocking the name. Suddenly, something clicked in Olivia's brain, like a light switch or something.

"Love."

"What?" Elliot wasn't sure if he heard right or not. Did she just say love? "Love? You…want to call the puppy… Love?"

"It's perfect, El!" Olivia's face brightened. "L-Lucky, O-Olivia, V-Vivian, E-Elliot! L.O.V.E.! Love!" She seemed really proud of herself for putting together such a perfect name for the little puppy. Elliot laughed, standing up.

"It is perfect." He agreed. _Just like her._ Then quickly scolded himself for the thought. "C'mon, we better get downstairs before they think something's up." Elliot grinned, leaning against the door frame now. Olivia stood up as well, still clutching the newly named puppy to her chest.

"Maybe we should give them a reason for thinking that." Olivia said, passing Elliot through the door with a smile. "Let's go," She said, now to the puppy, "and hope Cragen doesn't throw us out!" Elliot was about to take her up on the offer, but she was already gone, half way down the stairs. She had only been joking, they always joked like that. With a smile, Elliot sighed and shook his head, following his partner back to the squad room.

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End file.
